The long-term vision of the CECS?s Institute for Informed Patient Choice (IIPC) is to promote excellent interdisciplinary research and education about patients? decision making in preference-sensitive health care. Its ultimate mission is to improve the decision-making capabilities of patients and to foster informed, preferencebased patient choice in close-call decision situations. One of its strategies is to create pioneering educational programs ? particularly about the science involved in studying how ?patients? decision aids? (PtDAs) can help clinicians to provide patients with ?decision support? (DS). A major IIPC educational strategy is to host annual Summer Institutes in Informed Patient Choice (SIIPCs) on the Dartmouth College campus. The overarching motivation for the annual SIIPCs is to share intellectual capital, to identify and mentor the next generation of scientists prepared to investigate key basic/applied problems in DS/PtDAs, and to foster collaboration between basic/applied decision scientists in furthering translational research in DS/PtDAs. The inaugural, 2-week 2007 SIIPC is currently well under way. The primary aims for the 1-week 2008, 2009, and 2010 (last week of June each year) SIIPCs are: 2008 SIIPC: To identify the most promising conceptual frameworks, research methods, outcomes evidence, implementation models, and sustainability principles for designing conjoint educational programs for effective interprofessional training in the clinical practice of DS/PtDAs. 2009 SIIPC: To identify the most promising conceptual frameworks, research methods, and outcomes evidence required to design effective DS/PtDAs interventions for patients with multiple chronic conditions who are facing preference-sensitive health decisions with multiple therapeutic options. 2010 SIIPC: To examine the regulatory, legal, and payment policies required to accelerate the wide-spread adoption of high-quality DS/PtDAs for preference-sensitive treatment options. In addition, each year?s SIIPC will focus on anticipating emerging trends and opportunities in DS/PtDAs. For each year?s SIIPC, a core Planning Committee/Lead Faculty will recruit internationally-renowned senior scientists to serve as Visiting Faculty. The Visiting Faculty will present their view of the state-of-the-science in their relevant field of study, then the Lead Faculty will work with the attending Fellows in hands-on ?labs?. The Fellows attending each SIIPC will be either Faculty-Nominated Fellows (about 5 individuals accompanying the Visiting Faculty) or Selected Fellows (about 65 individuals accepted via a formal scientific submission and review process). Faculty and fellows will be housed on the Dartmouth College campus, where lectures, smallgroup discussions, and laboratory sessions will take place. Educational activities will be fully supported by audiovisual equipment, electronic ?blackboards?, and websites. Proceedings will be broadcast to Distance Participants via WEBEX. Educational materials will be cumulatively compiled, organized, and distributed electronically to key listserve sites in the field of healthcare decision making research.